CivicLex Day? CivicLex Day!

I had a very big surprise yesterday in Council Chambers with a Mayoral Proclamation in honor of 5 years of CivicLex!

CivicLex has a different relationship with our local government than a traditional media organization. While we cover city hall like a lot of newsrooms, occasionally frustrating some folks in local government with that coverage, we don't see our relationship as adversarial. We know that if we truly want to strengthen Lexington's civic health, we have to have local government as a partner.

I tell people this a lot when I'm talking about CivicLex. Just providing people with information about what is happening in local government and teaching them how to engage can actually be disempowering if the process for participating isn't helpful, rewarding, or impactful. We've seen that if people show up excited to participate in a civic process and that process doesn't truly honor their participation, they're less likely to participate in the future. That extrapolates out to lower trust in government, less civic participation, and worse civic health.

If we actually want to make improvements on the civic health of our communities, we need government's partnership and willingness to try new things.

Luckily for us, we have found willing partners in many people across LFUCG. From council members and staff, to the mayoral administration, to staff in departments across the city, there are so many people in our local government who share our vision for a Lexington in which everyone can meaningfully participate in the decisions that shape where they live. I learn something new about local government every day, and I’m often in awe of folks in and around LFUCG constantly doing hard work to make Lexington a better city, so much of which goes unseen by most of the general public.

So while we (I think) frequently frustrate many people in LFUCG, we try to approach partnership in good faith. And, I think that approach makes them stay open to working with us time and again.

A big thank you to my friend Councilmember Jennifer Reynolds for springing this surprise on me so well and all of her kind words about our work. And the same to Mayor Linda Gorton, who issued an official CivicLex day proclamation!

Of course, none of what we do would be possible without my amazing colleagues -> Megan Gulla, Kit Anderson, Stephanie Mobley, Noel Osborn, Jillian Riseman (She/Her), Haley Wartell, Adrian Paul Bryant - and board members who have stuck with us for so many years - Melody Flowers, Dan Rowland, Scott Shapiro, Jordan Parker, Josh Douglas, Carly Muetterties, Matthew W. Wilson, Christine Louise Stanley, just to name a few.

Beyond honored and also still very surprised CivicLex has made it this long!